East Longmeadow School Committee forming task force to study school bus fees

EAST LONGMEADOW – The School Committee is looking for residents willing to participate in a task force to address the issue of busing fees and other transportation problems facing the district.

The creation of a transportation task force follows the defeat of an article at the Town Meeting on May 17 that asked the town to provide $385,000 from its free cash account so that the fee could be reduced from $270 per child to $150 per child. The $270 is equivalent to $1.50 per day during the school year. A majority of voters rejected the article.

Parent Laura B. Joubert, who proposed the article, said some parents are struggling with the costs of busing several children to school. The district does not pay to transport children who live within a two-mile radius of the school. However, all of the district’s five schools are on main roads and have few sidewalks.

“It’s not safe for children to be walking on the side of the road when cars are speeding past them,” Joubert said.

The School Committee is expected to discuss and finalize the task force and its members later this month, said interim co-superintendent Theresa A. Olejarz, who has received about 10 parents interested in joining. Of those, three will be selected.

Meanwhile, many parents who cannot afford the fee drive their children to school causing large car lines that disrupt traffic and have caused several accidents, Joubert said.

School Committee chairman William Fonseca said currently the School Department buses more than 1,400 students and receives fees close to $200,000 which are used for gas, maintenance of the buses and employee salaries and benefits. If the article had been approved, the fees would be reduced to $88,000.

The article was not supported by the Appropriations Committee or the School Committee because there was not enough information available regarding the financial impact the reduction would have on town finances. Some feared the drop in fees would have triggered an increase in ridership, which would have led to a need for more buses as well as changes in bus routes and pickup times.

School Committee member Gregory Thomas said the task force will be charged with finding out what concerns the community has about transportation whether that be the high fee, the bus routes or other concerns. He suggested sending a survey to parents to see what they want the group to focus on.

The task force will consist of Olejarz, Tracy Gamble, the transportation manager for the district; Joubert, School Committee members Joseph Cabrera and Angela Thorpe and several parents. They would also like it include a resident over 65 who can provide a different perspective.

“I’m just really glad we are going to be looking at this,” Joubert said.

The committee is currently accepting letters of interest from community members who would like to participate on the task force. For more information call the School Department at (413) 525-5450.